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Procrastination

I think I’ll go and make a cup of tea.
Not because I need one; it’s more the case
that it will fill this moment perfectly.
More the point, that just now I need some space.
I think I’ll go and strum my old guitar.
Not that I’m rehearsing a performance,
perfecting pieces in a repertoire;
no, it’s more the case I need some distance.
I think I’ll go and take a pleasant walk.
A stroll around the garden would be nice.
Not to tend to patches with spade or fork;
no need … there are no weeds in paradise.
. I think I’ll take a little time off task;
. I’ll take a break and in distraction bask.

To the reader: Distraction; a half-deliberate measure, surely that’s procrastination. Allowing yourself to be waylaid, sidelined or set askew is probably not a text-book approach to best-practice delivery. But occasionally, a little time-out can serve your purpose well. The timing of a cup of tea, a musical interlude or a garden walk should be factored into a practical action plan; one that relieves the tedium and drudgery of work.

To the poet: As a teacher I used to write children’s songs; three verses and a chorus. If the kids were lucky, they got a coda – the tail-end of a song. This sonnet reflects my old habits. Each of the three stanzas follows a predictable pattern; not that I’ve tried, but it’s probably quite easily converted to a rhythmic strum. Don’t be tempted, although the ‘sonnet’ translates from Italian into English as ‘little song’ that’s a trap too easily set; all too predictable.

Join the Journey

Author: Tim Grace

At the beginning of February 2010, I was at Brisbane Airport, in transit and on my way to Brunei. A hectic one-month work assignment was looming and I knew I would need some way of releasing my 'off task' thoughts. Fortunately, as it turns out, the airport bookshop had sold out of its copies of Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger died a few days earlier - 27/1/2010) - so, next to his empty plot was a copy of Shakespeare's Sonnets.
The seven hour flight to Brunei was the perfect length to finish all 154 sonnets. Obviously, there are some brilliant poems in amongst his life's work; but there are the occasional verses that leave you wondering. Read in a single sitting the sonnets collectively tell of an artist who was easily smitten by love, had an obsession with his mirrored image, was haunted by his increasing age and looming mortality. He often uses the changing seasons as a metaphor for these themes which are expressed in the context of a semi-rural environment.
While on assignment in Brunei, I resided at the Abdul Ruzaq serviced apartments and to escape the need to make a new eatery decision each night I surrendered my eating habits to the Charcoal Grill. At a table for one (and set for four) I usually settled into a routine consisting of menu selection, sonnet readings, dining; and to finish - a brewed coffee as the accompaniment to my own sonnet writing.